Make the best of it.

The world is not always filled with sunshine. Life has its ups and its downs. During those times, the best thing to do is to make the best of it.

You won’t always get to have the best working conditions. You won’t always have the perfect students to teach. You won’t always have your health be at its optimum. But you do always have the choice, to make the best of it all, and enjoy your day.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

Who is Momma?

Many children are being raised by people that are not their parents. These often are loving people who, for whatever reason, have to assume the responsibility of being a parent.

I have worked with children who have been seriously abused and molested, and they still want to be with their parents and dream that their parents will love them. As you and I know, that is not always possible. But I think that every child deserves love. Children deserve people in their lives with whom they feel safe, people who have their best interests at heart, people who will protect them.

But children still want to be able to use those magic words, “momma,” and “daddy.” Surrogate parents can tack on those words to their own names, “Grandma momma,” “Auntie Jean Momma,” “Mom Kathy,” & “Poppa Josh.”

I have been blessed in my own life to have had my own dad who passed away when I was young, and then I had another other dad figure step into my life, “Poppa James.” It didn’t take anything away from the love I have for my dad to have another special loving father figure in my life. It added to it.

This is the month of love, February, so it’s ok to expand the love in this special month and be all that you can be in name or in action to those who need it.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

Easy does it.

On those days you feel overwhelmed, it’s sometimes good to have a motto you say to yourself. A good one is, “Easy does it.” It’s a loving reminder to yourself to be gentle on yourself and those around you. You can still get everything done, but remember to pause and breathe, to stop and smile, and to even hum a favorite little tune to yourself now and then.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

Every masterpiece has tiny brush strokes.

When artists paint, they use bold strokes, medium strokes, and tiny strokes. Together, all of the strokes create a wonderful finished product—their masterpiece.

It is the same with teaching. There are times you have to be bold, and there are other times that you have to settle for tiny little strokes—tiny bits of progress. Your masterpiece lies in the futures of the children you teach.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

Age is a state of mind.

I heard about an amazing woman—Ebby Halliday. She is going to be 99 in March and is still working and has been called the First Lady of Real Estate. Her Texas-based real estate company did great last year in a down economy. She is a dynamo. She says the key to longevity is that she doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, and she doesn’t retire! She says the latter gets the most credit. She is an upbeat fun person who is not letting her age define what she does. She has lots of energy and keeps up her spirit by making a difference. Watch Ebby when she celebrated her 98th birthday and get inspired to be all that you can be whether you are young or old. Age is a state of mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDNXTKw3wtw&feature=related

Have an awesome day.

Maryln